The Hobbit Book Review: Ch 8

Bilbo and the Dwarfs looked upon Mirkwood and fear and dread crept into their heart.  They took their first of many steps inside of the gloomy forest and all light seemed to fade away.  The low dim of daylight soon turned to darkness the further they hiked into Mirkwood.  Hours seemed like days, and days weeks as they traveled through the treacherous woods.

Soon Bilbo and the dwarfs came upon a dark rapidly flowing stream.  They remembered what Beorn and Gandalf had warned them about the water inside of the forest.  It held enchantment on who ever was to drink it or wade through it.  They thought for a while on how they were to cross this wide creek and with Bilbo's keen eyes he spotted a boat pulled to shore on the other side.  One of the dwarfs launched a rope with a hook toward the boat and on the second try snagged their only hope.  The dwarfs pulled and pulled and the taunt rope soon gave way and the boat came speeding along to their side of the shore. 


Four by four the dwarfs and Bilbo piled into the boat to make it safely onto the other side.  On the last trip Bombur was stepping onto the shore and a great dear came out of the woods and caused him to lose his balance.  Bombur fell into the stream and they threw him a rope and pulled him in.  As soon as they reeled him to land they noticed he had fell into a deep sleep that no one could rise him from.  All hope was soon fading from the group when they realized they must share the load of Bombur the rest of the journey.

On one faithful night when hope was almost lost old Bombur rose from his slumber and at about the same time one of the dwarfs spotted a faint glow of torches in the distance.  They all got up and were off toward the light disregarding the advice from Gandalf about not straying from the path.  They stepped into the circle were the torches were and before they could say anything all the lights went out, as if by magic.  This happened two more times, on the last, Bilbo was left alone, with the dwarfs no where in sight or sound. 

Later that night Bilbo found himself in a duel with a giant spider as he woke up with it trying to wrap him up and drag him off for dinner.  Bilbo didn't go down without a fight though he thrust his sword right between the spiders eyes in a death dealing blow.  Bilbo soon realized what had happen to the dwarfs, they must of been drug off by giant spiders. 

Bilbo searched the forest and with a bit of luck and intuition found a dark scary place.  This place a giant spiders all about and in the distance her saw 12 dwarfs hanging from a tree.  He could tell they were dwarfs by their colorful hoods sticking out.  Soon Bilbo plotted away to save the dwarfs.  He had his ring on so not to be spotted and he launched stones at the spiders all while singing a rather nifty song.  In this way he led the spiders away from the dwarfs and circled back to cut them down.  After he released them they had to fight their way out of the spider den while poisoned and weak.  Thanks to Bilbo and his elvish blade they made it out safely.

They quickly realized that Thorin was not with them.  He was not captured by hungry spiders, but none other than woodland elves.  But Bilbo and his comrades still didn't know this.   

So the further we get into this story the more courage Bilbo has shown, now he has battle giant spiders and came out unscathed.  It seems a Hero can come from the most unlikely of places and sizes.